SLUG Staff

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Eric Granato

Distribution Manager

It takes a whole hell of a lot of people to publish SLUG Magazine every month, but the main man in charge of getting the mag from our brains to your hands is SLUG\'s Distribution Manager Eric Granato. Granato has been a SLUG distro driver since 2007, delivering the magazine to your favorite local businesses in Salt Lake, Sugarhouse and beyond. Eric is also largely responsible for getting the majority of SLUG\'s back issues onto our website as downloadble PDFs. When he\'s not adding new businesses to our ever-increasing distribution routes or hassling local shopkeeps for messing with our racks. Eric often can be seen cruising down state in his big black truck or admiring his bitchin\' Rat Fink tattoo.
Hometown: Salt Lake City, UT
When and why did you come to Salt Lake?
Well my mom and dad got busy in a pool from what I understand and about eight months later after much baby-bump hiding I showed up in 1984.
When did you start reading SLUG?
I was about 12, everyone thought I was strange.
When and how did you become involved with SLUG?
In December of 2006 I answered a help wanted ad on Myspace thinking it would be a good way to ease myself back into the work force. I kinda have always wanted to work for SLUG in some aspect or another.
Favorite SLUG feature?
Soccer Dad and the People in Your Neighborhood
Favorite SLUG Story (something that has happened in your life)?
It\'s a toss-up to the cute barely legal chicks flashing me while delivering the mag and the crazy homeless guy that jumped in the back of my car because he wanted a ride two blocks, also while delivering the mag.
Favorite place to see live music in Salt Lake:
Don\'t have a favorite place to see it. For me it could be in the West Desert in mid-July as long as it\'s a good band.
Favorite restaurant/bar in Salt Lake:
Este takes the food portion because their portions feed you for days. The Republican is my favorite watering hole. Three words: Table Top Shuffleboard!
Current obsessions, musical or otherwise:
Rebuilding my vinyl collection, women\'s underwear and making them into slingshots.
What was the first show you attended?
It was some punk band playing in a park out in Draper.
What was the first record you bought?
Green Day\'s Dookie
What was the best event you ever attended?
That\'s a hard one because all events are killer in their own right, but I am going to have to say the first time I saw Loom play.
Who would you most like to meet from a SLUG cover?
Kim Nekroman. I want to play his coffin bass.

Jessica Davis

Daily Calendar Coordinator/Office Intern/Writer

I enjoy simplicity. I do what makes me happy by creating things through sculpture, illustration and music. I play music in a solo-project titled S.L.F.M, which includes a distorted ukulele and plenty of moustache paraphernalia. I love watching live music because you can see the difference between someone playing music and a great musician by their face. I read books about spies because they\'re full of surprises, and sometimes books about war, not so much for the history part but for the ridiculousness of it all. I work for SLUG because they\'re doing something worth being a part of.

Hometown: Salt Lake City, UT
When and why did you come to Salt Lake?
In the year 1989 a nice lady decided to pop out a baby. I had little choice in the matter.

When did you start reading SLUG?
I was in high school. The first thing that grabbed me was a CD review that bashed a local band I adored. The uncensored opinions kept me reading.

When and how did you become involved with SLUG?
I graduated high school in 2008, quit my job playing with flowers and SLUG had posted something about needing interns. With the excitement of something new and staying busy, I filled out an application.

Favorite SLUG feature?
I think Mike Brown has this one covered. It\'s generally the first thing I go to read, like an old lady trying to find out what those pesky kids are up to now, and there\'s a guaranteed laugh somewhere.

Favorite SLUG Story (something that has happened in your life)?
While working the Avenues Street Fair (the first I attended with SLUG) and an older man working at one of the surrounding booths came to investigate what we were \"selling.\" At one point he heard the word art, and after declaring \"all artists and those who may be affiliated with them\" perverts, he left (with SLUG in hand). 

Favorite place to see live music in Salt Lake:
Houses/garages. Not that the few decent venues aren\'t doing a nice job, but houses tend to be much more personal and easy going. It\'s nice to hang out with a band after their set and realize that even though they\'re talented and quite often very intimidating, they like pizza, and I like pizza. Cool! One house in particular in Provo is The Compound. That Joey fella knows his stuff.

Favorite restaurant/bar in Salt Lake:
I don\'t eat out much and can\'t quite peruse the bar scene yet, so top three at this time: Este Pizza, Vertical Diner and Park Cafe. Yum!

Current obsessions, musical or otherwise:
In listening to music: dirty garage rock. In playing music: fast and distorted with a bit of a growl. Otherwise: moustaches, because they remind me of spies, villains and creeps, which are all quite hilarious and sometimes quite sexy ... 

What was the first show you attended?
First local eye opener sounds better: Tolchock Trio.
What was the first record you bought?
I have no idea. I remember getting a mix from my friend in the fourth grade, which included N\'Sync and the Spice Girls, who were so cool they inspired many dance routines in sparkling attire. 

What was the best event you ever attended?
I have two for simple reasons: 1. The Sasquatch music festival in 2008, which was my first real adventure. There were so many interesting people, and the view from the Gorge was brilliant.
2. The Sego Arts Festival at the Castle Amphitheater (I think 2007). It rained almost all day, and though soaked and freezing, I couldn\'t think of anything better. Towards the end of the night everyone was packed under one tent trying not to get rained on while leaving room for the bands. It was great.

Who would you most like to meet from a SLUG cover?
At this time, Tom Waits. There\'s something about those low grungy vocals.

Esther Merono

Copy Editor/Writer/Office Aid

Born in Spain and raised in Utah, it\'s likely I have a contradicting personality. I\'m working on my bachelor of arts in English Literature with an emphasis in Creative Writing at the University of Utah, set to graduate May \'10. If I inherited a billion dollars I would spend the rest of my life writing poems and picking up new hobbies. I don\'t have any wealthy relatives that I know of, though, so I pay for rent and my extravagant lifestyle by working as a bartender at Brewvies Cinema Pub. I don\'t own a car so I ride a bike everywhere I go--yes, it\'s a fixed gear, and no, I don\'t eventually want to move to San Francisco. New York would be pretty awesome though. I like live music of all kinds, reading sci-fi and fantasy novels, going to the movies, writing short poems with punchlines, eating, sleeping, and thinking about traveling. Nerdy and awkward are two words that describe me well. Working for SLUG is definitely the coolest thing I do.

Hometown: Cartagena, Spain
When and why did you come to Salt Lake?
It all began when my parents converted to The Church. Wanting a better life (read: temple marriage) for their children, they decided to join the saints in Zion when I was three. Somehow we ended up closer to Zions National Park instead, in Cedar City, UT. I returned to the 801, barely escaping a permanent hick accent, when I was offered a fat scholarship at the University of Utah. I\'ve been resisting RMs ever since.
When did you start reading SLUG?
I started coming up to Salt Lake for shows when I was about 16 and deemed responsible by the \'rents. My friends and I would go eat at The Pie afterward and I\'d pick up a copy of SLUG there every time, dreaming of one day writing for something other than the Cedar High Post.
When and how did you become involved with SLUG?
In all seriousness, I really had fantasized about working for SLUG when I was a teen, but I was a little intimidated. Who wouldn\'t be? Have you met the awesome people that work here? Anyway, after working for the Utah Chronicle for a year at the U, I felt I had a little more experience than my high school newspaper to keep my confidence up. I saw they were looking for copy editors about a year ago and I guess my spelling skills and musical tastes were up to par, \'cause here I am!
Favorite SLUG feature?
This is a tough one \'cause it changes with the issue. Sometimes I enjoy the feature stories, sometimes it\'s the reviews or Mike Brown. Usually it\'s whatever has the least problems for me to fix or whatever is the most fun for me to write.
Favorite SLUG Story (something that has happened in your life)?
When I got to interview Thrice\'s Dustin Kensrue over the phone. Unfortunately he\'s kind of a mumbler and the reception wasn\'t very good so my only cue to move on to the next question was when he\'d stop talking \'cause I couldn\'t understand a word. When I listened to the recording, I found out I had cut him off a few times mid-sentence thinking he was done when he had just paused. I guess that\'s a combination of my favorite and most embarrassing SLUG story.
Favorite place to see live music in Salt Lake:
Call me a sellout, but I genuinely love going to In The Venue. It\'s big, but has an intimate feel, the sound and lights have always been awesome, and it\'s generally where my favorite band, Thrice, always plays.
Favorite restaurant/bar in Salt Lake:
Vertical Diner and pizza night at Sage\'s. If I could afford it, I\'d eat at those places every single day of my life and I swear I wouldn\'t get sick of it.
Current obsessions, musical or otherwise:
I\'m really into eating oranges right now. I also sometimes find myself staring at my bike \'cause it looks so good with its new handlebars. I\'m also obsessed with going to the movies and \"shuffle\" mode on my ipod.
What was the first show you attended?
Recover at the Electric Theater in St. George. Saosin was headlining, but they never showed up.
What was the first record you bought?
I wish I could go back in time and have a cool friend that introduced me to punk rock, or make my parents listen to something besides The Carpenters and Mozart, but alas, I can\'t so my answer is embarrassingly lame: the Titanic soundtrack.
What was the best event you ever attended?
Salt City Sprints, but I think this just might be because it\'s the first and only time I\'ve ever won an athletic event ... if you call racing stationary bikes athletic.
Who would you most like to meet from a SLUG cover?

Oh man, what I\'d do to meet Nick Carter.

Ellie Cannon

Office Intern

My name is Ellie Cannon and I grew up in Salt Lake City, UT. I am 20 years old and I\'m attending the University of Utah. I am currently studying Strategic Communications as well as Italian and a little bit of art. I have a very big obsession with the South that nobody understands and that everyone tends to make fun of. I am in love with Ed Westwick and his character Chuck Bass on Gossip Girl. I love the Red Sox as well as soccer when Cristiano Ronaldo is playing. Jimmy Buffett is also my favorite musician and his life is one that I envy.

Hometown: Salt Lake City, UT
When and why did you come to Salt Lake?

I was born here so I had no choice but to grow up here, but that\'s a not bad thing.


When did you start reading SLUG?

About four years ago while I was working at JMR.
When and how did you become involved with SLUG?

I became involvedwith SLUG this past October because I wanted to learn how a magazine operates, so I applied and was lucky enough to get the job!
Favorite SLUG feature?

The feature on the best burger joints in Salt Lake. Unfortunately for me, every time I think about it I\'m very tempted to make a pit stop at Crown Burger ... I love it!
Favorite place to see live music in Salt Lake:

Considering I\'m just under the big 2-1, I would have to say In The Venue.
Favorite restaurant/bar in Salt Lake:

Cucina Toscana for their amazing Italian dishes or Backer\'s for their amazing sweets!
Current obsessions, musical or otherwise:

Swollen Members and of course, Jimmy Buffett! Along with the TV show Tosh.0 and Scotch Kisses from See\'s Candies!
What was the first show you attended?

Hm ... Probably N\'Sync or Elton John and Billy Joel ... that was a long time ago.
What was the first record you bought?

FIVE, this boy band that I was obsessed with when I was in elementary school! I actually just found the CD the other day ... And yes, I played it.
What was the best event you ever attended?

Out of the music scene I would have to say either Mickey Avalon or Girl Talk. But my all-time favorite event to attend, which I do yearly, is a Red Sox game. There is nothing quite like being at Fenway Stadium and seeing the amazing crowd!
Who would you most like to meet from a SLUG cover?

JR Ruppel, the founder of SLUG Magazine.

Jemie Sprankle

Office Intern/Writer

I was born and raised in upstate New York. Grew up snowboarding in the winters and skateboarding in the summers until I made the switch to BMX. Fell in love with hip hop and music in general early on. I got my real start from singing along with my Nana to Elvis, Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. From music I got into everything urban. I threw up my first tag in \'99 in my Nana\'s basement, 10 years later I painted a building that she passed on her way to work. Now I write for SLUG, collect sneakers and spend most of my free time surfing the internet and watching shows about prison life.

Hometown: Blinghamton, NY.

When and why did you come to Salt Lake?
I came to Salt Lake in September of 2009 after seeing a show about some gnarly dude with face tats who escaped prison and got caught at an Arby\'s for getting recognized.
When did you start reading SLUG?
When I first came to visit out here a couple years ago I started checking it out, mostly online.

 When and how did you become involved with SLUG?
A couple weeks after I got out here I applied online in the fall of 2009.

 Favorite SLUG feature?
\"My Saturday with the Mormons\" by Mike Brown, From back in 2008.

 Favorite SLUG Story (something that has happened in your life)?
My Favorite SLUG story is when I got to see the snake in the office go all sorts of alpha male on a rat and eat it. Made me glad not to be a rat.

 Favorite place to see live music in Salt Lake:
Urban Lounge. I like seeing people breakdance in between sets.

 Favorite restaurant/bar in Salt Lake:
Tony Caputo\'s. Hands down.

Current obsessions, musical or otherwise:
Musically Lucero, Warren Zevon and Ol\' Dirty Bastard. Otherwise, sneakers, talkin\' shit, Maestro Knows, Iloveprison.com.

 What was the first show you attended?
Fist Her Face 55 and Punch Drunk Monkeys on Halloween when I was in sixth grade. I was so jacked up and hyper after the show I toilet papered my own front yard.

 What was the first record you bought?
Green Day\'s Dookie. The first tape I ever got was the Harlem Globetrotters Mixtape.

 What was the best event you ever attended?
Crue Fest. Everyone who was not Motley Crue sucked.

 Who would you most like to meet from a SLUG cover?
Either Slayer or Henry Rollins.